Proton alum and her family share their gratitude, gifts

January 2017

By staff

Last month a young patient alum named Carolina and her family stopped by the UF Health Proton Therapy Institute with a surprise. They brought a very generous donation of 27 ($25) Wal-mart gift cards, 7 ($50) Wal-mart gift cards and toys that filled the entire toy closet at UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. The donation was made possible through a foundation the family has started called The Believe Foundation.

The family has a Facebook page and described the foundation in the following post:

One day in December, 2014, I came home to Carolina and Nicole counting the money in their piggy banks. They each counted out $50 and wanted to buy presents for other children who would be in the hospital during Christmas. Michael agreed to put in $50, and Tabitha and I matched their money. We shared the story on Facebook and almost $3,000 was raised in five days. Little did we know, this small act of compassion by my kids would be the seed that would blossom into a God calling.

Today, this journey has transitioned into a journey that is centered on others. Hearing that your child has cancer can attempt to take you to a very dark place of anger and bitterness. We have the Hope of Jesus, but not every family knows that Hope. We want to share the light and love of Jesus Christ to those in need. Believe Team Carolina has slowly grown into The Believe Foundation.

The immediate goal of the foundation is to provide gifts for children that will spend the Christmas holiday in Wolfson Children’s Hospital, receiving treatment at the UF Proton Health Proton Therapy Institute or those that will visit the oncology clinic at Nemours.

We thank Carolina and her family for the tremendous gifts that will bring comfort and joy to so many children.

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About This Newsletter

The Precision Newsletter is an electronic-only publication that is distributed by email. Each issue is sent monthly to patients, alumni patients and friends of the University of Florida Health Proton Therapy Institute. As the official newsletter of the Institute, the content is compiled and prepared by our communications representative and approved by the editor Stuart Klein, executive director of UF Health Proton Therapy Institute. Special bulletin newsletters may occasionally be prepared when timely topics and new developments in proton therapy occur. We will make every effort to remove your name from the list. If you would like to send a Letter to the Editor, please click here.

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